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Honours even on day one: Surrey v Glamorgan report

STEVEN Davies and Zafar Ansari took advantage of dropped catches to make half-centuries as Surrey reached 182 for five against Glamorgan on the opening day of the LV= County Championship Division Two season.

Bad light brought an early end to play at The Oval, after one ball of the 74th over.

Wicketkeeper Davies was dropped in the slips on 29 and went on to make a fine 67, while Ansari played a more watchful innings and he reached 50 not out from the final ball of the day's action before umpires Peter Hartley and Steve O'Shaughnessy took the players off.

Glamorgan captain Mark Wallace, who was making an historic 200th consecutive County Championship match, put Surrey in and Rory Burns and Graeme Smith made a confident start before the fall of three quick wickets saw the hosts slip from 34 without loss to 34 for three.

First Burns was pinned lbw by Jim Allenby from the final ball of the 11th over, before the same bowler had Dominic Sibley caught behind for a six-ball duck in the 13th over.

Captain Smith then fell lbw to Graham Wagg next ball and it was left to Ansari and Davies to rebuild the innings, which they achieved with a fourth-wicket stand of 122.

Both Ansari and Davies were watchful but Glamorgan will regret giving both of them a second chance.

Second slip Stewart Walters got his left hand to an edge from Davies when he was on 29 but could not hold on, and moments later Ansari was missed on nine by Wallace, who was playing in his 200th consecutive Championship game.

Ansari got a genuine edge to a delivery from Michael Hogan but Wallace could not hold onto a regulation chance and Walters failed to take the rebound as the ball fell to the turf.

Davies brought up his fifty from 100 balls when he punched Allenby into the leg side for two.

It took a brilliant catch from Wallace shortly after tea to get rid of Davies. Hogan induced an edge from the left-hander and Wallace took a superb catch one-handed diving away to his left to leave the score at 156 for four.

Gary Wilson had only made one when he offered no shot, shouldering arms to a ball from Hogan in the same over that swung back in, and was given out lbw.

Ansari reached his half-century, a 183-ball effort, with a nudge backwards of square off Ruaidhri Smith before the players were taken off.

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